Has anyone wondered what proper etiquette is when using the Radio Reference Forums? Well, here are some great rules of thumb to follow and live by when interacting with your fellow radio communications enthusiasts:

1. God gave you 2 ears, and 1 mouth. Listen (read) before you speak (type) - and everyone will be better for it, including yourself.

2. Resist the urge to post to every single thread in every single forum. You might know everything there is to know about radios, however not everyone wants to hear that "you know." If you see a question posted about a system in Kansas, and you live in Louisiana, let the Kansas folks have a chance to answer the question.

5. Posting message with a subject that reads "Question" or "Hello" does not give a good description to those who are passing through threads to respond to. Always post a descriptive subject, such as "Frequencies for Dare County Fire Department?"

6. Stay on topic. If the thread topic is about "Your Favorite HF Frequencies" and you jump in and post "What is the best HF Radio?" then you are just taking the thread into the weeds. Start a new thread if it isn't on topic for the existing one.

7. Let a dead horse die. Please don't keep beating a horse in a thread. Leave that dead horse that is dead alone, since he is dead. If the horse is dead, don't beat it. Don't beat stuff around a dead horse either, since a dead horse is dead, and beating stuff around it is typically just pounding on sand.

8. Please do not post just to increase your post count. As crazy as this sounds, we have members here that believe their social status will rise considerably if their post count exceeds 10,000.

9. Do not become the Internet police and do not assume the role of a moderator. If you see a thread that needs attention, or discusses illegal activities, or is otherwise potentially problematic, click the Report Post link and let the moderator know. Do not assume that you can handle these issues yourself. (you can't, you'll make it worse, every time)

10. Please do not tell the moderators how to do their job. They are well aware of the forums and actively attempt to manage them as well as they can. If you see a post or thread that needs the attention of the moderators, click the Report Post link () and send us a message.

11. Last, but certainly not least, take a deep breath before you post a message. Could someone misconstrue your message as an attack on their character? Could someone misinterpret what you said as an insult? Many subtle items can be lost in written communications, so be sensitive to the fact that some people may view your message differently than what your intention was.

Follow these rules of thumb, and the community will be much better off. All of our policies and guidelines will be covered, or will appear, in the Rules and Guidelines Forum. If you post on this site it is your responsibility to read all threads in that forum.